1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to syringes of the kind comprising a housing, a dose setting mechanism in the housing, an injection button, and a needle receiving member, by which syringe doses of a medicine can be set by the dose setting mechanism and by operating the injection button can be pressed out through a needle mounted on the needle receiving member from an ampoule accommodated in the housing.
Such syringes are mainly developed to be used by patients, mainly diabetics, who have to frequently inject themselves with individually set doses of insulin. The syringes are often given a shape like a fountain pen so it may be carried by the patient all through the day and is always ready for an injection. The ampoule may contain medicine enough for several days, but the used needle must be removed after an injection and a new needle mounted before the next injection. This opens the need for extra needles which the patient further must bring with him. Also other kinds of equipment may be necessary so as strips by which the blood glucose concentration may be estimated and pills if the diabetic suffers from the type II diabetes which is treated partly by pills and partly by insulin injections. Consequently the syringe is mainly delivered in a small case which accommodates the syringe, a number of needles, possibly a ampoule with medicine etc. However, this already makes the patient less free than it was intended when the pen was developed as an device integrating all the most necessary parts. Especially the need for spare needles have to be met.
2. Description of the Related Art
EP 697 222 discloses fixing a tube containing a number of needles to a pen by a clip having oppositely directed C-shaped portions. This solution only transforms the inconvenience of having two parts to carry into the inconvenience of having a bulky thing to wear.
It is an object of the invention to provide a syringe by which this inconveniences are avoided.
The present invention is a syringe comprising a housing for containing an ampoule and having a needle receiving member; and a dose setting and injection mechanism in the housing for setting a desired dose of medicine and pressing the set dose of medicine out of an ampoule mounted in the housing. The housing has a compartment accessible by the user of such syringe for storing one or more accessories which are not normally mounted on the syringe when stored.
The compartment may according to the invention has a size enabling it to accommodate at least one needle stored in a needle magazine.
The compartment may according to the invention be a cavity in the housing covered by a lid, or it may be an inner space in a cap which is mounted on the housing or in a drawer which is slides into the housing.